The Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay will hold its Diwali Dinner Saturday, Oct. 17 at the India Cultural Center in Tampa. The dinner and entertainment that will follow is free for Samaj members. For information, call Samaj president Dr. C.J. Patel at (813) 960-8450 or visit www.gujaratisamaj.org

Also, The Sanatan Mandir in Tampa will hold Laxmi Puja at 6 p.m. on Oct. 17. The next day, Annakut will be held starting from 11 a.m. There also will be Diwali and New Year fireworks at the mandir, 311 E. Palm Ave. For information, call (813) 221-4482 or visit www.sanatanmandir.org

And the Hindu Temple of Florida will hold a Diwali cultural program from 5 p.m. on Oct. 17 at its community hall, 5509 Lynn Road, Tampa. For more information, visit www.hindutempleofflorida.org

The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Tampa will celebrate Chopda Pujan at 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 17. The next day, it will have an Annakut Aarti starting from noon and thereafter every hour; Annakut darshan is from noon to 7 p.m. Kids Carnival also will be held from noon to 6 p.m. with Diwali program at 7:30 p.m. The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is at 9556 E. Fowler Ave. in Tampa or call (813) 431-0038.

The Charotar Patidar Samaj will present a Diwali Dinner and Dance from 3 p.m. to midnight Nov. 15 at The Trinkle Center, Hillsborough Community College, Plant City Campus, 1206 N. Park Blvd., Plant City; There is a $50 donation for family of four; add $15 for each additional person. Fr information, call Jayesh Patel at (407) 460-2020, Kamal Patel at (863) 670-1045 or e-mail charotarpatidarsamaj@gmail.com

More than 2,200 enjoyed the sold-out FOGANA North American Raas, Garba and Folk Dance competition 2009 at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, on Sept. 6. Nearly 25 regional winning teams from across the United States including California, Ohio, Texas, New York, Michigan and Georgia took part in the national Fogana title.

FOGANA stands for the Federation of Gujarati Associations of North America. Founded in 1980, the group seeks to promote the cultural heritage of Gujarat among the younger generation through raas, garba and Gujarati folk dance. By bringing Gujarati people living in North America closer together through a common platform, Fogana aims to maintain the cultural heritage of Gujarat, India.

More than 200 community members participated in the Tampa BAPS Charities Walkathon Sept. 26, supporting "United We Serve," a national effort launched by President Obama to engage Americans in serving their communities this summer. In keeping with its Walkathon theme, "Building a Better Community, One Step at a Time," part of the proceeds from this year's Walkathon will go to University Community Hospital's Pepin Heart and Dr. Kiran C. Patel research institute in Tampa.

"We are pleased to join this national effort and thank the President for making this call to service," said Nilkanth Patel, president of BAPS Charities. "BAPS Charities is taking part in 'United We Serve' by organizing nearly 125 community service events including health fairs, blood donation drives, health awareness campaigns and walkathons like this one all across the country."

The Malayalee Association of Central Florida, together with Tampa Bay Boating Association, is preparing for the second annual Champions Trophy Vallamkali (boat race) Saturday, Oct. 31. Dragon boats will be used to celebrate the traditional snake boat races (vallamkali) of Kerala. Thirteen teams from all over Florida and neighboring states are expected to participate. The event is free to the public.

Kerala is known for the snake boat races, which are held in conjunction with Onam, the harvest festival in August/September. Usually, a snake boat is manned by four helmsmen, 25 singers and 100-125 oarsmen, who row in unison to the fast rhythm of the song of the boatmen.

The event's main goal is to promote unity and cultural interaction within the Indian community by having teams from different Indian communities come together and work in unison in various teams. Corporations often use this sport as team building activity and organizers hope this will be used as team/community building activity within the Indian community.

DOWN THE ROAD: A carryover from 2009, the rear-wheel-drive car can reach 0 to 60 mph in a mere 4.5 seconds. Top speed is set at 155 mph. Impressed? You ought to be. After all, the 6.3-liter hand-built engine from the AMG division of Benz offers strong acceleration, superb handling and steering feel.

TECH & PERFORMANCE: Step on the throttle and the DOHC V-8 engine blasts off 518 horsepower at 6800 rpm and 465 pounds-feet of torque at 5200 rpm. Mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission, the CL63 is equipped with a power rack-and-pinion steering, which is razor sharp. Front suspension is handled competently by a four-link system while the rear gets a five-link system. Both ends have gas shocks and coil springs to improve ride quality and comfort. Bringing the speed demon to a halt are 15.4-inch front dual-sliding calipers and 14.4-inch rear single-sliding caliper discs. To vary the driving experience, Mercedes offers sport, comfort or manual modes.

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